The sleepy town of Arles, in the Mediterranean South of France, is known mainly for two things: its Roman and Romanesque history, and the fact that Vincent van Gogh lived there for about 15 months toward the end of his life—sufficient time to create some of the most instantly recognizable and beloved paintings in the history of art.
The first thing visitors approaching the town will notice, driving past the bucolic lavender and sunflower fields, is a stacked geometric tower that might initially seem like it alighted from outer space—except for the way in which, slowly but confidently, it claims a place amid its surroundings.
Despite the complexity of some of the work, Hoffman, stressed that cultural events at the Parc des Ateliers would be multi-pronged and never rigid. She pointed out that on the campus there is a glow-in-the-dark skatepark designed by the Korean artist Koo Jeong A; adventurous visitors could also venture down two intertwined metal slides by Carsten Höller.
“The idea is to bring world-class artistic programming to the countryside, rather than have it exist only in big art capitals.” Hoffmann said. “But we also want and have to be open to the local community.” She’s off to a good start.